Manila, U.S. deny shooting incident

Both Philippine and U.S. military officials in southern Basilan yesterday denied reports that an American soldier, accompanied by Filipino troops, shot and wounded a Muslim villager last Wednesday while arresting a suspected Abu Sayyaf member in a remote village.

"The report is incorrect. It is not true," U.S. Army Maj. Richard Sater responded when asked by journalists in Zamboanga City if there is any truth to the reports.

House of Representatives member Satur Ocampo, who is in the south to investigate alleged military abuses during counter-terrorism operations, earlier yesterday said the U.S. soldier should be made to face a congressional probe.

Ocampo, said Buyong Buyong Isnajil, a resident of Tuburan town in Basilan, was wounded in the thigh when an American soldier, whom he identified as Afro-American Pvt. Reggie Lane, shot him during an interrogation inside the suspect's own house.

When asked if they have a Pvt. Lane in their roster, Maj. Sater said: "I don't know anyone by that name. But in so far as we are concerned, the incident did not happen and we will not be undertaking any investigation."

Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Information Chief, Lt. Col. Danilo Servando, made the same response. "There was no American soldier in the raid conducted by the Charlie company of the 18th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army."

Col. Alexander Aleo, head of the army forces in Basilan, said the wounding of Isnajil was a result of a shoot-out with the local military.

He said Isnajil was a member of the extremist Abu Sayyaf and was wounded during the encounter with Filipino troops before he was captured. The incident occurred just as the last American troops are preparing to move out of Basilan as the end of the six-month military exercises called Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) draws to a conclusion by Wednesday.

The bulk of the U.S. troops, consisting of some 800 Navy engineers and U.S. Army support staff, left Basilan and Zamboanga City as early as two weeks ago.

Ocampo's report raised outrage among his colleagues in the House of Representatives as he pointed out that while guidelines of the Balikatan allow U.S. soldiers to take part in actual troop movements against the Abu Sayyaf, they are prevented from directly participating in combat operations unless it is in self-defence.

Ocampo, in his report, cited testimony by a physician named Julius Cesar Aguila and Isnajil's wife, Jurida, who narrated to them how Isnajil was shot by the American.

In her testimony, Jurida said an African-American and two Filipino soldiers went to their house last Wednesday night and asked them about a rifle that had been confiscated from a house nearby. A resident of that house told the soldiers that the gun belonged to Buyong Buyong.

While the couple were being questioned, the American soldier suddenly fired his gun, hitting Buyong Buyong in the thigh, Jurida said.

Col. Aleo, however, refuted Ocampo's allegations. "These are purely accusations because Ocampo's group was met by angry villagers who are against them."

Ocampo's group, whose members are mostly from the U.S. but also include delegates from Australia, Japan, Korea, Austria, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands, was pelted with tomatoes and stones by a pro-Balikatan crowd when they visited Isabela City to conduct interviews with alleged victims of human rights.

The group took the pelting in their stride, with some members saying they expected such a reaction from pro-American residents.

An angry villager accused Ocampo of using government funds to finance his anti-U.S. campaign. "We are against these people because they interview Abu Sayyaf members rather than victims of kidnapping and terrorist activities."

"This report shows there was a brutal violation of the terms of reference of the U.S.-Philippine wargames, which the Philippine government said would be obeyed by everyone involved in the military exercises," said Ocampo. "The American and Philippine governments should take responsibility for this outrageous violation."

More than 1,000 American soldiers had trained and assisted the Filipino army against the Abu Sayyaf, a small group of Islamic militants linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaida network.